On Monday, FIFA will award the Ballon D'Or to the world players of the year. Among the men, Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldois the favorite to win the golden ball. His rival, Barcelona's Lionel Messi, is also nominated, along with Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery.

Ronaldo threatened to boycott the gala. And why? In comments last year, FIFA President Sepp Blatter, perennial winner of the foot in the mouth award, declared he preferred Messi, cutting Ronaldo down for spending too much time "at the hairdresser." Ronaldo responded with the fringe of sardonic wit, wishing "Mr. Blatter health and a long life." Translate that as, "Drop dead!"

Tune in Monday to watch the poses and the sincere smiles.

Messi fans don't like to hear it, but Ronaldo is a better all-around club player. The Portuguese player has earned winner's stripes in Portugal, England and Spain. Messi has always been with Barcelona. Add his supporting cast of Xavi and Andres Iniesta, the best midfield in the world. Would Messi be as dominant without those two? Plus Ronaldo can defend, score with his head and burns explosive speed - Messi less so.

Ronaldo is 28. He celebrated his 400th career goal, bagging two for Madrid against Celta Vigo in La Liga on Monday. The breakdown shows his versatility - 260 of those strikes came from his right-foot, 76 from his left and 63 with his head. One is recorded as coming from another part of his body, perhaps his pout.

American Abby Wambach, Brazil's Marta and German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer are nominated for the women's award. Wambach passed Mia Hamm's scoring record of 158 goals in international soccer in June (she currently is at 163). Draw the 33-year old as a striking warrior, still scoring at will, and keen to leave an indelible mark on world football by helping the Americans win the Women's World Cup in Canada in 2015.

Africa's best: No surprise here: Manchester City midfielder Yaya Tourewas named African player of the year for a third straight time Thursday, beating out fellow Ivorian Didier Drogba, the Galatasaray striker and two-time recipient, and Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel of Nigeria.

World Cup news: FIFA reports that Brazil labors with infrastructure and stadium construction problems, failing to make the grade for the World Cup in June. Too late to switch hosts, but you can assume the telephone calls between Zurich, FIFA's home base, and the presidential palace in Brazil have been less than courteous.

FIFA expects the host nation's obeisance, rolling over obstacles that could affect the image of the World Cup. Run it as an event free from disruption by angry citizens bent out of shape that billions are spent on sparkling new stadiums, while ordinary Brazilians struggle to find basic services.

Death of a legend: It's hard to overestimate the impact on world football of Eusebio, the Portuguese great who died at age 71 on Sunday. There were only small mentions of his passing in the U.S., but tributes poured in from around the world. The prolific striker scored 428 goals from 1957 to '79. Born in Mozambique, then a Portuguese colony, he played the bulk of his career with Benfica in Lisbon. He rolled up his career stateside playing in the old NASL in Boston and New Jersey.

On Twitter, Ronaldo dedicated his Monday night goals to his countryman. "I dedicate these 2 goals to you Eusebio, but in fact you were the one who scored them. You'll always be in my heart."

Brazilian great Pele called him "a brother."

Look for Eusebio on YouTube. At the 1966 World Cup in England, plucky North Korea shocked the world by taking a 3-0 lead over Portugal in a quarterfinal only to lose 4-3 to a fight-back led by Eusebio. It remains one of the great matches in World Cup history.